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Content Focus: The Lord of the Rings, Book Five
Thematic Focus: An Enemy Called Despair

Overview

Although many critics have asserted that the central theme of The Lord of the Rings is the conflict between good and evil, another significant dichotomy  hope versus despair  runs through the novel. In the sieges, skirmishes, and battles that fill Book Five, the noble defenders of Middle-earth struggle not only against their external foes but also against defeatism. Unit Eight invites students to analyze the intricate mixture of optimism and fatalism that informs Tolkien's artistic vision.